"On the Banks of the Seine"
Fandom: Digimon Adventure/02
Summary: Takes place during the Digimon World Tour. Tai can't stop thinking about a certain someone, and being in the most romantic city in the world doesn't help. Neither does the so-called advice of a certain Grandpa Takaishi. Or... does it? Oneshot.
Genre: Romance/Humor
Warnings: Fluff, dub canon, misdirection, *slightly* AU.
Author's Note: I possess the ability to get attached to some of the most minor Digimon characters. Matt n' TK's grandpa is one of them. He's a bit of an enigma- several signs point to him being French, but if that's the case, why is TK's last name Japanese? Well, for the purposes of this story, he's Japanese, and he changed his given name to Michel when he married TK's grandmother, the two of them settled in Japan to raise a family, and then moved to the countryside outside Paris after retiring. That... was probably too much information, but that's my head-canon for ya.
This takes place in the dub-verse, mostly because the constant references to Grandma being the one who, uh, wears the pants when it comes to home repair gives her slightly more character than the one-off comment in the original about her drinking too much wine at a Christmas Eve party and falling asleep. Plus, the dub makes it a lot easier to ignore the original's line about Versailles being Grandpa's stomping ground when he was a kid. Anything to support the head-canon, baby! :)
I tried to do a bit of research for this story (in addition to watching the sub and dub of this episode several times). Footnotes added to show off- er, I mean for clarity.
December 25, 2002 8:17 am
The Control Spires were destroyed, the Mamemon sent back to the Digital World, and the sun had not yet risen over Paris on what was sure to be a gorgeous Christmas morning [1]. But Tai Kamiya couldn't say he was interested in any of that. He dismissed himself from the impromptu party of DigiDestined and digimon that had formed on the banks of the Seine near the Pont Alexandre III [2], confident in the fact that TK would continue making friends enough for both of them, and giving the excuse to Agumon that no, there was nothing wrong with him, he was just really tired.
That was at least partially true, he reflected as he sat down on the low embankment separating the walkway from the river. It had been a very emotionally draining 24 hours. However, Tai couldn't help thinking this was also the second time in as many days that he hadn't been completely honest with his digimon partner, and it put him ill at ease that he was continuing to resort to it.
He sighed. Now that the looming threat of the spires and the excitement of battle was over, his mind was free to wander back to those dark and gloomy thoughts that had only started to take hold of his mind a few hours previously.
Stupid Sora. Stupid cookies.
She and Matt were a couple now. Had been for hours. He had to admit that, of all the things that had happened to the DigiDestined recently, this particular event was one that he had been least prepared to deal with, as well as the one that had come as the biggest blow. But the evidence was pretty much irrefutable. There had been no mistaking Sora's intentions as she hovered nervously outside the backstage door before the concert. And in the ensuing chaos of the digimon attack, hadn't Matt had sought her out, made sure she was safe? It didn't get much more obvious than that.
He sighed. If only... if only what? He spoken up sooner? That assumed he knew what to say. Tried harder to express his feelings? Yeah, right. If dating was more like a game soccer, he would have no problem, but feelings and all of this subtle emotional stuff were not his forte. Besides, it was too late now. He had given her his blessing, tried to brush it off, pretended it didn't bother him. He would just have to accept their together-ness as fact, and try to move on with his life.
If only that were possible.
"My friend, you have ze unmistakable look of a man who finds himself of ze giving end of a one-sided love." His thoughts were jarred by the sudden appearance of Michel Takaishi [3], who sat down uninvited by his side and gestured to the knot of children and digimon standing twenty feet down the walkway. "Could it be that zat you have taken a liking to leetle Catherine over zere?"
"Wha- oh, n-no, sir." Tai felt his face burn red, mentally wincing at the memory of his lips' spur-of-the-moment contact with the French girl's cheek. Why had he even done it? He supposed like most things wrong with him these days, it had been the fault of hormones.
"Aah, zen eet ees someone from back home," Mr. Takaishi said knowingly. "A close friend, perhaps?"
"Perhaps," Tai conceded evasively, hoping the older man would take the hint that he really didn't want to continue the conversation. But Mr. Takaishi stayed where he was, watching Tai's face for some sort of elaboration, and Tai remained silent, stubbornly staring at the ground just in front of his feet.
Mr. Takaishi did seem to take a hint, but not the one Tai had anticipated. He leaned backwards, giving a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "Of course, I am just Matt and TK's crazy grandpa, so what would I know?"
Tai's eyes widened in horror. "That's not what I- sir, I didn't mean- I'm sorry."
Mr. Takaishi laughed at the look on Tai's face. "No need to apologize, Monsieur Kamiya," he said genially. "I did not mean to pry. I was merely trying to offer my services as an expert on matters of ze heart. Both of my grandsons speak very highly of you, you see, particularly Matt. He could not bear to see someone so close to him zis down in ze dumps, and neither can I."
Tai started to scoff at the older man's obvious misinterpretation of his eldest grandson's character before stopping himself, mentally berating himself for his own standoffishness. Why was he being such a jerk? After all, Mr. Takaishi wasn't crazy (despite all evidence to the contrary). Eccentric? Possibly. Unpredictable? Definitely. Intensely patriotic? Absolutely. But through a combination of all these things, he had helped Tai and TK prevent a crisis of international proportions. And that, Tai reasoned, was probably enough justification to at least listen to what the old man had to say.
Meanwhile, Mr. Takaishi had shifted his gaze upward, staring serenely at the distant lights twinkling in the Parisian skyline. "She ees a beautiful city, no?" he said with a hint of pride. "I owe a lifetime of happiness to her, because eet was here zat I met ze woman who would become my wife. Love ees a funny thing, you see - you never know when eet is going to strike. Take me for example. I was a young and carefree bachelor, traveling ze world without a worry to my name, when I came to Pairee and met a most wonderful woman."
Tai nodded, his attention half on what the older man was saying and half on the mingling DigiDestined down the path. Catherine was throwing flirtatious looks at TK, and TK was attempting (rather clumsily, Tai thought), to return them. The brown-haired teen turned away from the scene and joined the older man in looking up at the sky.
"Suddenly I, who had never even considered settling down and taking a wife, found myself thinking just zat," Mr. Takaishi continued. "So you see, I was caught up in ze magic and romance of zees city, and from zen on, my heart belonged to both ze woman I loved and ze city zat introduced me to her."
Tai nodded again, allowing these words to really sink in, his mind opening to terrible new vistas of thought. Would Matt and Sora ever come here to France, on vacation, or during one of Matt's inevitable international concert tours? Would they, too, be caught up in the romantic spell of the city? Would Matt propose to her here, perhaps at the top of the Eiffel Tower, or in some secluded corner of Notre Dame? Would they get married, buy a place together, have children? His insides writhed with displeasure, both at the thought of Matt and Sora spending the rest of their lives together and at the shame he felt in not being able to be happy for them.
"So you got married and lived happily ever after," Tai said listlessly, watching a giggling TK and Catherine as she led him further down the walkway into the shadows cast by the bridge. "Simple as that, huh?"
The older man chuckled. "Well, I would not say zat!" he exclaimed, causing Tai to turn and face him questioningly. "Zat is ze other funny thing about love, you know, is zat she ees very rarely simple." He turned to face Tai again, smiling kindly. "But what are we doing, talking about an old man's past? I am supposed to be helping you with your own problems! So, tell me about zees girl, eh? You can trust old Grandpa Takaishi. I swear on my honor as an adopted son of France!"
Tai sighed. "You really want to know?" he asked. "Fine, I'll tell you. She's got blue eyes. Blonde hair. Plays in a band. Oh, but I forgot to mention, she is actually a he, and he just happens to be my best friend. My problem is that I have a crush on my best friend, and what's worse, I can't even tell him how I feel!" Tai felt his face growing hot despite the chill of the early morning air. He had no idea what made him blurt out his deepest, darkest secret to this crazy (sorry, eccentric) old man. Maybe he was sick and tired of keeping it to himself. Maybe he was the one who was crazy. Or, maybe Tai just felt he could trust this man, that he wouldn't judge him, even though he was related to the object of his affection. His stupid, unhealthy, irrational, unrequited affection.
Indeed, the older man looked only momentarily taken aback before giving Tai an understanding smile. "So zat ees ze problem," he said in a satisfied manner. "How long have you been in love with my grandson?"
Tai dropped his eyes to stare at his hands. He thought of sharing a tent with the blond when they went camping with Izzy and Mr. Ishida as a cover for the younger DigiDestined, and wishing that Matt would scoot his sleeping bag jut a little closer to his. He thought about when the Digimon Emperor captured Agumon, and Matt had literally knocked some sense into him with that admirable right hook. He thought about fighting Diaboromon, when WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon merged into Omnimon, and the feeling of Matt's heartbeat hammering in perfect sync with his own.
"Not... forever," Tai confessed, a small smile crossing his lips, "but long enough."
He looked over at the other man. Mr. Takaishi was gazing up at the slowly-lightening sky again, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"When I met Matt and TK's grandmother, I knew ze two of us were destined to be together," he said quietly. "Truth be told, I zink she knew it too. We were so alike, sharing the same zest for life, even though she was reluctant to admit it at first." He chuckled. "She had many suitors, you see, and ze idea of an eccentric foreigner like myself courting her certainly raised a few eyebrows. So I can understand where you are coming from, I zink. We mortals have leetle choice in ze matter when Monsieur Cupid fires his arrows at our hearts!"
Or Angewomon, in my case, thought Tai with a wry smile, recalling the incident four years ago. "So what did you do?"
Mr. Takaishi laughed again, a deep, jovial sound. "What deed I do? I made sure to stand out from all those other suitors! I brought her flowers nearly every day! I cooked for her. I eemproved my French to write great works of poetry for her. I drove her wherever she wanted to go, town or country. And when we got a flat," he said with a wink, "I let her change ze tire."
"And that works?" Tai asked, unable to keep the skepticism out of his voice. "The flowers and the French and all that?" It just sounded so... cliche.
"Well, at first she called me a romantic fool," Mr. Takaishi admitted, laughing still more. "But one day, she asked if I wanted to help her retile her parent's kitchen floor. I consider zat our first date. And although our chosen path was never ze smoothest sailing, we persevered out of sheer stubbornness. Besides, neither of us would have had eet any other way. Adventure and adversity are what keep life exciting, no?" The older man clapped a weathered hand on Tai's shoulder. "So, zere you have eet. True love ees an uphill battle, but one well-fought. If you can show him he ees ze most important person in the world to you, zen he will notice. And as long as he notices, you have a chance!"
Tai's mind was whirring again, this time with scenarios of hope rather than despair. A chance... he would have to show Matt that he was willing to do anything for him. He could... well, for starters he could learn how to cook. Maybe Matt would appreciate coming home to a hot meal, and not having to feed himself and his dad all the time. He could write poetry- for class, of course; nothing mushy- and get some tutoring from Joe and Izzy like he was always talking about, so that Matt wouldn't have to hound him to finish his homework on time. He would save his allowance, buy anything Matt might want- strings for his bass, hair gel, flowers... did Matt even like flowers? He had no idea. He would have to pay closer attention to what he and Sora...
And then the good mood that had buoyed his daydream was gone, smashed to pieces on the rocks of reality. "It's a great thought," said Tai his shoulders sagging. "Really. But it's no use. Even if I got him to notice, it's too late. He's already with someone."
"My dear boy," Mr. Takaishi said, laughing yet again, "what in ze world makes you think zat?"
"Well, I-" Tai started to explain, but the significant look the older man was giving him was enough to make him stop, shaking the foundation of everything he'd ever considered to be indisputable proof of Matt and Sora's relationship. The scene at the backstage door replayed in his head, but this time was followed by those last few minutes before the concert actually started. Sora had sat down next to him- hadn't she said earlier she didn't want to?- and she had remained quiet and subdued for the rest of the evening, looking (now that he thought about it) completely unlike Tai would feel if Matt had returned his feelings. And Tai had thought Matt rushing to protect her during the digimon attack was an affirmation of their newly-forged bond, but in Tai's eagerness to leap into the fight himself, he had left Sora alone to fight the panicking crowds. Did Matt's staying behind to help her really show he felt anything for her, above and beyond the normal concern for a friend?
"Are you saying- Sora and Matt- you mean they never...?" Tai 's brown eyes locked onto Mr. Takaishi's twinkling blue ones, searching for a confirmation that the revolutionary leap of logic his brain had just made wasn't just the product of some delusional fantasy. Mr. Takaishi beamed at him in response.
Tai opened his mouth, but whatever he had been about to say was interrupted by shouts from the direction of the other DigiDestined. Agumon was calling his name and TK was pointing at the eastern sky, just left of the Eiffel Tower. It only took Tai a moment to see the focus of their attention.
The sun was rising now, turning the cloudless sky a hazy yellow-orange as it crested the line of distant buildings marking the horizon. A thin trail of light that looked as if it had broken off from that dazzling sliver of sun was blazing toward them like a meteor, growing larger and larger, even as Tai followed its supersonic progression across the sky. Imperialdramon.
"Zat looks like your ride home," Mr. Takaishi said, standing up from the low embankment wall and offering his hand to Tai. "Farewell, Monsieur Kamiya. Eet has been a pleasure talking to you."
Tai followed suit, shaking the man's hand in somewhat of a state of shock. "I, uh... yeah. Likewise. Thank you sir. So much- for everything. There's just one more thing I've gotta know." He didn't wait for a response. "How did you... y'know, know all this? About me? And about Matt?"
The older man tapped the side of his nose and winked at Tai. "Aah, Monsieur Kamiya. You're not ze only one who confides in old Grandpa Takaishi when he has a problem, no?"
And then the last piece clunked into place, shifting Tai's brain from a state of confusion to jubilation in one breathtaking moment. What had Mr. Takaishi just finished saying a few short minutes ago? Both of my grandsons speak very highly of you, you see, particularly Matt...
Particularly Matt.
Tai heard someone call his name again. Imperialdramon had arrived in a whirl of wind and sound, landing on the still-empty Parisian street with a lound thump [4]. Davis and Ken were waving at him, and TK was already helping Agumon climb up Imperialdramon's massive hind leg. He turned back to look at the older man one last time.
"I have to go," said Tai excitedly. "Goodbye sir- thanks again!"
"You're very welcome, Monsieur Kamiya," the old man said, waving as Tai started to run toward the others. "And say hello to my grandson for me, won't you?"
Epilogue
January 5, 2003 4:02 pm
It had been nearly a week since the defeat of MaloMyotismon, and life was finally starting to return to normal for the DigiDestined. Indeed, it had seemed like a long time since Matt had been able to work on new songs or even pick up his bass, but he had been happy to discover that he had time for both pursuits this very afternoon, and was now hard at work at the dining room table. He scribbled down a few more chords and took a swig of some carbonated something, taking pause to reflect on all that had happened in the past few weeks and wondering just what it meant for the future.
The DigiDestined were something like celebrities now, and it would become harder and harder to avoid questions and the press as the Digital World became more and more widely-known. He supposed that the Teenage Wolves would see a rise in popularity as well, and while Matt would have rather earned that attention from their musical ability, he acknowledged that it was an unavoidable side effect of having helped save the world, and there was nothing he could do about it. At the very least his bandmates would be pleased.
Of course, more publicity meant more fangirls, and therefore more interest in his love life. This he did have some temporary insurance against. That was the one good thing that seemed to have resulted from what he had started calling the 'Sora Incident:' most of his fans (Jun Motomiya included, thankfully) seemed to be under the impression that he was officially off the market, and he saw no reason to inform them otherwise. They would figure it out sooner or later, of course, but in the meantime it was something like a vacation, and he was determined to enjoy it for as long as it lasted.
He just hoped it hadn't cost him a friend. Sora, while certainly understanding, had hardly spoken to him since.
The phone jangled to life at the other end of table, shaking him out of his thoughts. He picked up the receiver with his free hand.
"Ishida residence."
"Matt, it's me."
"Hey Tai, what's up?" Matt asked, cradling the phone with his shoulder and picking up his bass, plucking the strings to keep his fingers occupied.
"Not much, there's just... uh, there's something I want you to hear." There was an intake of breath on Tai's end of the line. "Je t'aime beaucoup. T'es tres beau. Je tiens a vous prendre pour le diner. Direz-vous 'oui [5]?'"
There was a very pregnant pause. Matt had frozen midway through tightening a string, a small crease appearing between his eyebrows as he listened to the silence emanating from the receiver. Tai seemed to be holding his breath.
"Well, Matt?" Tai said finally. "What do you think?"
Another pause.
"Tai, I have no idea what you just said."
The tense mood was broken. The blond heard an indignant squawk from the other end of the line. "Aww, c'mon! I have it on good authority you speak French."
Matt laughed, tightening another string on his bass. "Well, I do, a little, but even if I were fluent it wouldn't have helped me. Your accent is positively atrocious."
"Really? Gee, I dunno. My language coach thought I sounded pretty good!"
Matt couldn't help but laugh again. "If you're talking about my grandpa, better start looking for another tutor, ASAP. He gets so excited if any of us even try to speak his favorite language that he swears we're completely flawless. But ask my grandma and, whoo boy, get ready for an earful of criticism!"
"I, uh... hmm. Oh." The brown-haired boy lapsed into what Matt took to be a thoughtful and somewhat embarrassed silence. The blond plucked another few strings with deft fingers.
"So are you going to tell me what you were trying to say?" Matt asked, giving the bass a final strum before propping it against the edge of the table. "Or do I have to continue this scintillating one-sided conversation all by myself?"
"What? Oh, it was nothing. I guess I was just... trying to impress you, or something, but never mind. I'll see you at school, all right?"
"Tai..."
"Yeah?"
Matt knew he had the other boy's undivided attention. He kept his voice low so there was no way Tai could mistake his intention. "I didn't say you should stop trying to impress me. And yeah, dinner would be nice. I'm a little busy this week with rehearsals, but maybe we'll go later in the month, all right?"
Matt heard a lot of stammering, some fumbling, a loud clunk, and a yelp of pain. He could imagine Tai dropping the receiver on his foot almost as clearly as if he had been there watching.
He smiled and hung up.
Footnotes
[1] Sunrise in Paris on Dec. 25 2002 was at 8:43 am. The Paris segment of the episode (according to the original Japanese) started at 4 am. Looking it up on Google Maps, it takes about 22 minutes to get from the Arc de Triomphe to Versailles Palace (assuming, I'm sure, no traffic, which would undoubtedly be the case). The events shown in the episode (sneaking into the palace, rescuing Catherine, fighting the Mamemon brothers) didn't seem to take very long, but Tai and TK dealing with *all* the rogue digimon in France in about an hour seemed a bit unlikely to me. I figure once the other French DigiDestined showed up, they all fought a few more rogue digimon around Paris, and then went back to where the Control Spire in the Seine had been around 8 am to wait for their ride home.
[2] One of the many bridges spanning the Seine, it's probably one of the most iconic because it's so ornate. It was actually shown in the episode as the location of the Control Spire.
[3] Confirmed as his first name in the original AND the dub (not sure about his last name though).
[4] It being Christmas day, it seemed like a safe assumption that the streets would be pretty quiet.
[5] Hopefully, Tai said the following, otherwise Google let me down: I like you a lot. You are very handsome. I want to take you out to dinner. Will you say 'yes?'